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A volunteer program that helps prevent wildfires and promote responsible recreation in northwest Wyoming may soon see some of its funding cut.
Friends of Bridger-Teton National Forest’s “Ambassadors for Responsible Recreation” program places volunteers in Teton, Sublette, and Lincoln counties to speak with trail users and campers about safety, and in some cases, intervene directly to put out abandoned campfires.
“It only takes one person to store their food improperly and have a bear conflict,” said Scott Kosiba, the nonprofit’s executive director. “It only takes one to leave a fire unattended and cause a human-caused wildfire.”
In Teton County, the ambassador program is entirely funded by the Jackson Hole Travel and Tourism Board, which uses lodging tax revenue to support sustainable tourism initiatives. That pot of money is running low and not just for Kosiba’s organization.
Five other nonprofits are seeking support from the Jackson Hole Travel and Tourism Board to help manage public lands.
The other ambassador programs include the Teton Backcountry Alliance, Camina Conmigo, Friends of Pathways, Teton Valley Trails and Pathways and JH Nordic Alliance.
The organizations are vying for $550,000. They awarded over $800,000 to four organizations last year. Friends of Bridger-Teton, which supports more than 3 million acres of national forest, is asking for the biggest slice of the pie.
One of the seven board members appeared unconvinced that funding cuts would be devastating.
During a board meeting last week, member Shelby Scharp asked if Kosiba’s worries were overblown.
“I think that it’s a little misleading to give a real doomsday scenario and say if we don’t get this money, it’s going to [have] a real negative impact,” Scharp said.
Kosiba argued that without full support, public outreach and education campaigns could be significantly reduced, especially given chronic underfunding of the U.S. Forest Service and even more recent staffing reductions.
“In a perfect world, we would have fully funded federal land management agencies,” he said. “But that’s never been the reality.”
Lodging tax reserves piled up with a tourism surge during the COVID-19 pandemic. The tourism board, now focused on creating “sustainability” in the industry, has spent down those reserves.
The Travel and Tourism Board is expected to make its final decision June 12.
